I’d always wanted to take a cruise, but never had the money to. And when Derek left me virtually penniless, I’d cast all thoughts of luxurious vacations from my mind. But here I was, setting down my luggage in one of the most luxurious suites I’d ever been in. There was a massive plush couch that sat in front of floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The massive bed was caddy-corner by another set of tinted floor-to-ceiling walls, so we could wake up to the sight of the ocean. The bathroom was decadent, with a jet tub and a huge walk-in shower.
And the balcony that sat out over the ocean was thrilling.
“Colin,” I said, breathlessly. “This room is beautiful.”
“So—do you like it?”
Standing at the windows, I was looking out at the ocean I could already see, even though we were still docked.
“This view is gorgeous,” I said, giggling. “But—why go through all of this?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“We could have just had a regular room and still spent time together. Why the decadence? Do you—do you think I need that from you in order to love you?”
“No,” he said, as he strode towards me. “No, Abby. Not at all.”
He took my hands and brought them to his lips to kiss.
“I want to spoil you. Not because I think you need it to stay, but because you deserve it. You deserve the best, and I want to give that to you. I just have to learn how you enjoy being spoiled. Some women enjoy jewelry and the flowers, but some women enjoy other things, like lavish dinners and fine wines. Some women enjoy books, and some women enjoy travel. I want to figure out what makes you happy, then spoil you with the very best of it. Because you make me happy, and I want to experience that happiness with you.”
Tears were welling in my eyes as I nodded and looked down.
“Plus, I just figured we could use a vacation. I figured we could use the time to get to know each other without getting interrupted by work all the time. And if you didn’t want to take in the shows and the nightlife on the ship, we’d have a spacious comfortable room to come back to and talk. Room service. Baths together. The whole nine yards, but with enough room to have some space,” he said.
“You did all this—just to get to know me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I did.”
Shocked was how I was feeling. He had listened to me. Not only that, he had taken what he’d heard and put it into practice. He had kept his promise to me, and that was new for me. I wasn’t used to taking people at their word. I was used to waiting for their actions. When I was with Derek, I was thrust into a world where I always had to question his motives. I always had to tag along with him and fake happiness when he got me something he thought would make me happy. Because if I showed discontent, it was somehow my fault.
But not with Colin.
And I was finally beginning to digest that.
As I looked up into his eyes, I registered the bags underneath them. The deep wrinkles in his furrowed brow as he studied me closely. The turmoil he must have gone through during these past few days while I was rolling around in my pathetic emotions. I could see the exhaustion written on his face. Raising my hand, I fingered the wrinkles on his forehead as the warmth of his skin penetrated mine.
“You did all this just to know me,” I said, in a whisper.
“And I’ll do it ten times over if it means keeping you,” Colin said.
Maybe we were meant to be together after all. Maybe this was it. Being this worried about what was happening between us was a good sign. He was running towards me instead of away from me. Clinging to me instead of backing away from me.
And I figured the least I could give him was the same—no matter how scared I was.
“So,” I said, breathlessly. “What do we do first?”
“Well, the ship’s going to take off soon, and then it’ll be time for dinner. Why don’t we clean up and get ready?” he asked.
“Sounds good to me.”
We took turns hopping into the shower before we started getting ready. I watched him put on a wonderfully-tailored suit that clung to the best parts of him. His broad shoulders that tapered into a slim waist. His perky ass that bled into strong, muscular thighs. I felt heat building in my pelvis as I slipped a little black dress on, and I felt his eyes lingering on my body as I struggled with the zipper.
“Need some help?”
His voice was husky as I looked at him in the mirror. His eyes were hooked onto my waist, roaming over my curves. I nodded silently, watching him approach me before his hands descended onto my back.
I could feel the ghost of his skin against mine as he pulled the zipper up my back.
“How do I look?” I asked.
I watched as his lips descended onto the nape of my neck for a kiss.
“Breathtaking,” he said.
He escorted me on his arm into our dining room and the maître d’ sat us at a table along the wall. We were handed a menu that had a list of foods that set my mouth salivating, as soft piano music began playing in the background. I turned my head and took in the piano in the middle of the room. A woman was sitting there in a beautiful floor-length black gown, her fingers effortlessly drifting over the keys.
“If you have something you want to hear, she takes requests,” our waiter said.
“That’s good to know, thank you,” Colin said.
The food we ordered that night was amazing. The atmosphere was soft and dark, shrouding everything in a bit of mystery as we cruised through
